Yorktown

French Grand Battery Site

Battlefield · Colonial Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690

The site of the principal French artillery battery position during the Yorktown siege, part of the first parallel opened on October 6, 1781. The French heavy artillery — including siege guns far larger than anything the Americans could field — was the decisive technical factor in the siege. From these positions, French batteries maintained a devastating fire on the British works throughout the siege. The site is marked within the battlefield park and is accessible on the self-guided tour. The scale of the French contribution to Yorktown — ships, artillery, troops, money — is legible in the battery positions.

Redoubts 9 and 10

Battlefield · Colonial Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690

The surviving earthworks of the two British redoubts stormed on the night of October 14, 1781, in the operation that broke the British defensive perimeter. French troops under the Baron de Viomesnil stormed Redoubt 9; American troops under Alexander Hamilton stormed Redoubt 10 in about ten minutes using only bayonets. The capture of both redoubts allowed allied engineers to extend the second parallel, bringing artillery to within 300 yards of the main British works. The redoubts are the most physically present reminder of the siege's decisive night, and walking them communicates the scale and danger of the operation.

Yorktown Battlefield — Colonial National Historical Park

Battlefield · 1000 Colonial Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690

The preserved battlefield of the October 1781 siege that ended the American Revolution. The NPS site includes the British defensive lines, American and French siege parallels, the surviving earthworks of Redoubts 9 and 10 (stormed October 14, 1781), and a self-guided driving tour of the 7-mile battlefield. The Visitor Center houses Cornwallis's headquarters tent and a reconstruction of the 18th-century warship Yorktown. The site conveys the methodical, engineering-intensive nature of 18th-century siege warfare — this was not a dramatic pitched battle but a systematic reduction of a fortified position over three weeks.

Moore House

Historic House · Colonial Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690

The farmhouse where American and British commissioners negotiated the Articles of Capitulation on October 18, 1781. American commissioners included John Laurens and Viscount de Noailles; the British sent Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Dundas and Major Alexander Ross. The negotiations lasted one day. The house, owned by Augustine Moore, stood between the British lines and American positions — neutral territory for the talks. The capitulation documents signed here formalized the surrender that ended the war's active fighting. The NPS has restored the house and it is open seasonally.

Nelson House

Historic House · Main St, Yorktown, VA 23690

Georgian mansion built ca. 1730 by "Secretary" Thomas Nelson, home of Governor Thomas Nelson Jr. who commanded Virginia militia at the Yorktown siege. Legend holds that Nelson ordered French artillery to fire on his own house, believing Cornwallis was using it as headquarters — though the documentary evidence is disputed. Cannonball damage visible in the walls today is consistent with period accounts. Nelson was a signer of the Declaration of Independence who spent his personal fortune supporting the American cause, dying bankrupt. The house is one of the finest surviving 18th-century structures in Virginia.

Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center

Museum · Colonial Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690

The NPS Visitor Center at Yorktown Battlefield houses major artifacts from the 1781 siege including Cornwallis's campaign headquarters tent, a scale model of the siege lines, an orientation film, and exhibits on the American, French, and British perspectives. The reproduction of the 18th-century warship Yorktown is displayed in the center's main hall. Essential orientation before walking the battlefield, the center provides the operational context — troop numbers, artillery positions, the sequence of parallel construction — that makes the driving tour comprehensible.

Yorktown Victory Monument

Monument · Yorktown, VA 23690

A 98-foot neoclassical column completed in 1884, authorized by Congress in 1781 but not constructed for a century. The monument stands at the center of the old Yorktown battlefield and bears the inscription "One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny." The delay between authorization and construction mirrors the slow consolidation of American national identity the monument celebrates. Thirteen female figures representing the original states encircle the base; a figure of Liberty stands at the summit. The surrounding area features interpretive markers explaining the siege's key phases.